"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." (Matthew 2:1-2 NIV) The Bible does not give us any details regarding the exact day and hour of the birth of Jesus the Christ. Nevertheless, we believe in the veracity of the accounts of the Gospels that give us sufficient information to believe that the long awaited Messiah was indeed born to a virgin in the same manner and in the same location as had been accurately predicted by God's prophets long ago. We rejoice that many people in the world will pause and consider that a Savior was born to offer us forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. The only strings attached to this graceful gift are a loving, believing, obedient, repentant and faithful heart. The most recent issue of Time magazine carries a lengthy series of articles regarding the birth of Jesus. As we might expect, the various writers interviewed mostly "experts" who gave opinions that are far to the left of what most Bible believing Christians accept as indisputable facts that are part of the foundation of our faith. We must ask - why do many modern theologians disparage the true Word of God? Do they think that people will suddenly worship them for their cleverness in tearing down the true stories about the birth of our wonderful Savior - Jesus? God knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts. Just gathering from the trends of the advertisers and those responsible for public displays this Christmas, we conclude that it is somehow more acceptable to promote a mythical figure called Santa Clause than the one for whom this national holiday honors. Christmas of 1994 was very cold and lonely for me as a recent widower. I spent it alone as a missionary in the Russian Far East city of Khabarovsk with a newly formed church. The Russians have a tradition that Christ was born on January 6, so I reasoned that since the Bible does not give either date, then I would not attempt to "educate" my new friends about December 25. I walked the beautiful snow covered sidewalks of the city looking vainly for any sings of celebration. One poor new Christian family realized that it was an important day for me and they somehow located some Gillette shaving lotion and presented that to me as a gift that I will always remember with love. I knew this cost them a lot from their meager earnings, which they were not even receiving at the time. Even though the mother and father were highly educated engineers, they supported themselves and two children from what they could grow in their garden and what fish Ivan could catch. These folks renewed my joy and I decided to bring them joy. We had a wonderful time together on New Years Day! My wife Galina spent most of her life in the former Soviet Union. The dictators of the Communist Party decided to replace Christmas celebrations with New Years celebrations. Therefore, all during her growing up years, families would put up a New Years tree and exchange gifts. There was no mention anywhere about the birth of Jesus Christ. In this way, the communist dictators used their devious wisdom to wipe out references to Christianity. This year Galina remarked that most stores and public places in America have taken away all references to Christ and everyone is saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. She said it reminds her of the old Soviet Union. She suggested with tongue in cheek, that folks just celebrate New Years if they don't want to acknowledge Jesus Christ. The Magi or as we traditionally say - Wise Men went on a long and arduous journey looking for the new King of the Jews so that they could honor his birth with their gifts. They no doubt took great pains to take care of the gifts on the long journey. This is a beautiful story that reflects the sense of awe and wonder we feel about the Savior of the world. The tradition of giving gifts began with these three Oriental Kings. Yes, I know we do not know how many wise men there were - but we do know the three precious gifts they brought: gold, frankincense and myrrh. What precious gifts are you planning to give this year that will honor Christ our Lord? You are encouraged to attend the services of the Church of Christ at the corner of 3rd and E Streets. Write me with any questions or comments. David Binkley, Sr., P.O. Box 186, Cedar Key, FL 32625 or E-mail at dgbinkley@aol.com. You may also request to receive the daily WORD OF THE DAY by e-mail. Check out our web site at http://www.cedarkeychurchofchrist.com. | 